New Beard owner, rescued juvenile (??) HELP! :)

[LadyCatana]

Hello all,

Lady C from Finger Lakes region of New York state here


I rescued this Bearded Dragon from a yard sale. It was in a wooden crate with a plastic top with holes drilled in it, a water dish, and grass coming up through the bottom of the crate. Some bugs and a few crickets they had "found in the back yard" were offered as food, but no veggies etc.

Enough said? Gads...

Anyway, I'm wondering how old it is, (from tip of snout to tip of tail it measures about 9 - 9.5 inches according to my tape measure. Seems gentle enough, doesn't scurry away when handled, sat comfortably (almost gratefully) on my chest and up to my shoulder to hide in my hair on the ride home.

I had a 20 gal tank with mesh lid, dome lighting equipment, water dishes, cork bark etc already at home because I raise 2 species of Tarantula's and 2 species of Scorpions, both desert and forest.

I stopped off at PetCo and was sold one 40 Gal breeder tank (they're holding their $1.00 per gal sale so yee haw on that score , a 75w Basking lamp and a 13w coil UVB bulb. I plan on leaving both of those on during the day, I plan on shutting them both off in the evening, and on the "cool" side of the tank, where the bark doesn't reach as close to the top of the cage/heating source, I plan on using only a 60w CHE.

I've enclosed pics of it's "emergency" set up and a close up of him or her.

Please comment. I'm concerned about the substrate. It is a mixture of Play Sand (very fine grain I use as a base for a mix with Excavator Clay for my desert species) and some Cocoa fiber, also very fine grained, more like dust actually it's so dry. To reduce the risk of impaction/binding from swallowed substrate, I placed paper towels on the bare glass tank floor where the veggie and water bowls are.

All advice is appreciated. I do plan on moving him or her into the 40 gal after I have acquired a top and a lighting fixture that has the long bulbs for the UVB that I can hang from under the screen as opposed to the "emergency" coil I purchased today, said purchases coming perhaps within a month.

Thank you so much for your patience and your support,

Lady Catana and "Scratch"

 

[PogoLover]

I am a newbie as well, but I have to say he looks remarkably good for someone who was in a wooden box! Good job getting him out of there!

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. Nice looking dragon. . I would get rid of the coil. Those cause appetite, lethargy and eye problems. You can buy a light fixture from Walmart and I use command hooks. As for the subtrate I like solid. I use ceremic tiles and the are so easy to clean, keep the nails filed and looks better. I use to use sand and it would stay wet and stink after he went poop. Also how are you taking the temps? He looks likes he's fairly close to the lights. 6 to 8 inches away is the distance you want.

 

[LadyCatana]

Hi. Nice looking dragon. . I would get rid of the coil. Those cause appetite, lethargy and eye problems. You can buy a light fixture from Walmart and I use command hooks. As for the subtrate I like solid. I use ceremic tiles and the are so easy to clean, keep the nails filed and looks better. I use to use sand and it would stay wet and stink after he went poop. Also how are you taking the temps? He looks likes he's fairly close to the lights. 6 to 8 inches away is the distance you want.

HI Destiny,

and thank you for your response I agree with the coil theory and will check Walmart for your list. Also, I agree with the solid substrate. Until I can find something suitable, would you reccomend simply the glass or paper towels?

Re: temp taking -- I'm using a cheap stick on for heating, yes, I know, digital all the way, as I do for the Forest Scorps I have that need a specific humidity level, and for that the stick on pet store stuff is poop poo. That will have to wait until I can order one. This was an unexpected situation so things will be coming soon.

As far as distance from lighting, the log I put in for "it" naturally slopes downward, and some spots are closer to the lighting and heat sources than others. Is it in "my" (I really like saying that now "my" Beardie) Beardie's nature/instinct to move back and forth as needed? If Scratch gets too hot being so close to the source, won't it move?

On that note, I just shut off the lights and put the 60w CHE on and the little thing was sitting directly under the spot with eyes closed, it's neck and upper body stretched up as far as it could, and its mouth open, as if it were trying to "drink in all the heat it could". This concerned me, hoping it wasn't getting too hot, despite the temp now 15 degrees cooler, and, although I know, or think I know, that they do this to regulate temp. I lifted Scratch gently up and placed him / her on a lower level of the log where she has remained for the last 30 minutes or so and seems to be sleeping. Was it the lowered heat? Was it too hot being too close to the bulb? If I had left Scratch the way he or she was, would it have moved if it were in jeopardy, or could it be so mesmerized by the heat that it will inadvertently cook itself? Shudder....

 

[LadyCatana]

I am a newbie as well, but I have to say he looks remarkably good for someone who was in a wooden box! Good job getting him out of there!

HI Pogo and thanks

It's really turning out to be a pleasant surprise! Only hoping I can do it justice

Thanks again for your response and well wishes. Stay in touch and tell me how you're progressing, we can compare notes.

Lady C

 

[destiny1998]

Thanks for answering. Beardies like to cool down at night. You don't need a heat source as long as your house doesn't get below 65. Subtrate can be news. paper, paper towels, non adhesive shelf liner, tile. Anything they can't slip on or eat

 

[LadyCatana]

Just an update.

Beardie seems to be progressing well. Seeks companionship when I or my husband enters the living room (we've got his/her tank in front of the window from where he can look outside, see who enters the room, check out the tv if he/she wants to, and watch us during our daily routines and thus feel less alone and stressed), was given a bath this morning that produced this (THANK GOD lol but talk about stinky!?!? YUCK!) Not sure if this is normal but comparing it to some other photos I've checked out it does seem so, not sure what the yellowish softer almost intestinal looking attachment is between the poop and the urate all else seemed fine. Any comments? Sorry and thanks in advance.

Has been eating crickets from my hand well, loves basking, enjoyed his/her first salad of red romaine today, and generally seems well adjusted. I do have a question though... I've secured a few torn leaves of the romaine to a branch on the log, the pic kind of shows it as it was taken while Beardie was enjoying his/her salad, and he/she simply tore of the pieces and gobbled them down. Being that the lettuce is much, much softer and pliable than a cricket or a piece of fruit, does it matter TOO much if the size he tears off and consumes is maybe the size of a quarter (25 cent piece) or so?

That's it and thanks for all who respond

Namaste

Lady C and Beardie :mrgreen:

 

[LadyCatana]

Hello and thank you all who helped me get Idgie up and running, so to speak. Pics of her development have been posted here. She looks healthy, albeit a bit FAT! Time to ease up on the Dubias I think.

She's the easiest Dragon on the planet I'm sure. Eats her greens readily, seeks companionship from us and is not afraid of the cats, loves her Dubia's and has a healthy appetite and poops on the regular, loves to play in the bath, never hisses, bites or displays her beard, and has grown like a weed. She's almost a foot now, and about 5.5 grams.

She's a happy Dragon